PHILIPPINE INSTITUTE OF CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTSDubai Chapter History

PICPA Dubai Chapter
has been formed to cater for the domestic needs of our members away from our home country.
We believe that each one of us needs to stay informed on today's issue and current trends
in the accountancy profession through trainings, seminars and conferences. PICPA is also a
venue to meet peers from around the country who share the same interest. With PICPA you can
strengthen your leadership skills and make valuable contacts. Useful member services are
available such as employment referral and other services a member would normally require
when he goes back home on vacation. Why spend your precious holiday in a queue government
office when your local officers can do the job for you with a friendly smile.

Our Mission

To serve all Filipino CPAs in U.A.E. in any field of practice - public accounting,
government, business and industry, education.

Our Objectives

To protect and enhance the credibility of the CPA certificate in the service
of the public;

To maintain high standards in accountancy education;

To instill ideas of professionalism, ethics, and competence among accountants;
and

To foster unity and harmony among its members.

Let us have a brief retrospect of the Philippine Institute of Certified Public
Accountants (PICPA) national organization before we delve with the formation of the Dubai Chapter.
The Institute was founded in November 1929 by about 50 CPAs with the objective of promoting the
advancement of the Accounting profession, identify their group distinctively to the business
community, and attain greater unity among them. Its first president was W.W. Larkin, a public
practitioner. Over the decades, the association has undergone an impressive growth in terms of
members and in variety of services leading to the creation of regional and sectoral chapters.
The CPAs through the years have been in affiliation with allied fields, namely commerce and industry,
government service, business education and public practice.

The set of chapters proliferated beyond the Philippines as Filipino CPAs migrate to and
work in foreign countries - and PICPA Dubai Chapter is one of them...

The Chapter was conceptualized by eight CPAs working in Dubai in late 1993 - the
first meeting was held in November 1993 at the OWWA Office and was attended by Galicano D.
Agustin (who became the first President), Paul Ersando, Emiliano D. Dungca, Diosdado M.
Bancoro, Teresita M. Perez, Analyn Ambata, Fernando B. Cruz and Efren Atienza
(past President of the Batangas chapter). Efren Atienza shared his past experience and guided
the group on various formalities and requirements of organizing the chapter. During that time,
there were only few Filipino CPAs in the UAE so the group decided to put advertisement in leading
newspaper - calling all Filipino CPAs to join the weekly organizational meetings. The announcement
was likewise made at the office of the Philippine Embassy in UAE and in most favourite hangouts of
Filipinos.

The rest of the founding members - Sammy V. Trinidad, Dante F. Guiang, Edgardo N.
Picache, Eduard T. Gutierrez, Myrna T. Aldeguer, Virginia S. Quintos, Jose M. Veloso, Jun C. Tiu,
M.C. Tiu, Edelyn de Lemos, Ricardo A. Ayuyao and Reynaldo A. Ayuyao - then joined the first
group to meet the minimum requirement of 20 members to formally organize the chapter. The application
was sent to the National Office on December 7, 1993 and formal accreditation took place in February 1994.

Thereafter, the membership grew ardently as more CPAs in Dubai and neighboring Emirates
joined in. During the passing years, the Chapter has accumulated an enviable record of noteworthy
accomplishments. It was able to activate the CPAs in the Emirates, conducted appropriate seminars
for professional advancement of members and have been supportive in various social and civic
projects of the Philippine Embassy in the UAE. The chapter can likewise be proud of its own
newsletter "CPAG" and of course the holding of the First PICPA Middle East Conference in April 1997.

Year 2002 was a very remarkable year for PICPA Dubai as many activities and projects
were implemented - the acceptance of accountants who are not CPAs as Associate Members, the
launching of its website, the holding of Accounting for Non Accountants crash course and the
hosting (for the second time) of the 4th PICPA Middle East Conference, which paved the way for
the formation of the PICPA Middle East Regional Council. PICPA Dubai, indeed, proved itself as
not just an existing, but also a living organization, according to 2002 National President Carlito
Fuentesfina (who was the guest speaker of the Middle East conference).

The PICPA-Dubai Chapter is now a byword in the Filipino community in the UAE and
fast becoming in the Middle East.